Montreat Conference Center

Current Conferences

General Information

Part of a continuing series of workshops led by noted regional artists, the Spring and Fall Arts and Sabbath Weeks at Montreat Conference Center are open to anyone interested in one of the areas being offered, regardless of experience.

Choose one art form to study for an entire week, receiving intensive artistic experience under the expert guidance of a skilled artist. Balance learning with Sabbath time, in group worship and individually, for reflection, practice, and the simple enjoyment of applying what you have learned.

Spring, April 20-24, 2008

• Clay as a Healing Tool, Becky Garrity, Charlottesville, VA; studio potter who divides her time between teaching and pottery and creating functional stoneware for sale. Clay serves as an amazing healer. This workshop offers a chance to shift to handwork and tap into our hidden creativity. As a group, we will let clay and prayer move us. We will immerse ourselves in the process of forming shapes and vessels. Working with our hands, the clay serves as a tool to unlock the recesses of creativity and healing in our minds, bodies, and souls. There will be an opportunity for both wheel work and handwork depending on individual preferences. No clay experience is necessary! Limited to 10 participants.

• Onion Art: Peeling Back Layers (Mixed Media), Lynn Miller, Jackson, MS; pastor and freelance ecclesiastical artist and art historian who works in the areas of creativity and spirituality. No, we won’t use real onions. We will explore hands-on art processes that scrape away layers to reveal what is hidden underneath. A wonderful metaphor and freeing way to create, particularly when we are doing both the hiding and the discovering.

Fall, October 5-9, 2008

• Pottery: In the Potter’s Hands, Martha Nelson, Ridgecrest, NC; professional potter and pottery instructor who spends her summers teaching at the Sally Jones Pottery in Montreat. Each day we are in the potter’s hands being molded, stretched, and formed. In this workshop, through working with clay and exploring the relationship of the elements of earth, water, and fire, we will find a place to pause in Sabbath. Limited to 10 participants.

• Sensational Stained Glass Made Easy and Fun, Roger Maness, Jacksonville, FL; Director of Community Life Ministries, Riverside Presbyterian Church; accomplished stained glass artist. Come submerge yourself in a week of stained glass creations! Beginners will learn to cut glass, apply lead or foil, and then to solder to create onedimensional panels or tiffany stones. Persons with experience in working with glass will be able to create larger, more intricate panels or three-dimensional pieces such as boxes or kaleidoscopes. Everyone will leave with sensational finished pieces, improved skills, the joy of creative expression, and the resources to pursue a new hobby.

Program Fee

(total due with registration)

• Program fee on or before March 10 / August 25, $180 + materials fee;
• Program fee after March 10 / August 25, $205 + materials fee

Spring Materials Fee: Clay As a Healing Tool – $30; Onion Art: Peeling Back Layers – $15
Fall Materials Fee: Pottery: In the Potter’s Hands – $30; Sensational Stained Glass – $75

Scholarships are available for this conference.

Cost for Housing and Meals

(total due on or before March 10 / August 25)

Rates are per person and include all room and meal charges for the entire retreat (Sunday supper – Thursday breakfast). No adjustments to package will be made except for extended stay. Meals for children age 5-11: $53.25; under 5: no charge. No room charge for children under 12 years of age in the same room with parent(s).

Assembly Inn

• Single, Private Bath: $461
• Single, Connecting Bath: $385
• Double, Private Bath: $305 per person
• Double, Connecting Bath: $285 per person

Glen Rock Inn

• Single, Connecting Bath: $265
• Double, Connecting Bath: $185 per person

Registration Information

Event begins: Sunday, April 20 / October 5, with registration, 3:30-5 PM, Assembly Inn Lobby.
Event ends Thursday, April 24 / October 9, following morning prayers.

• Register online now!
• Download registration information

If you would like conference information mailed to you via U.S. mail, please email carolo[at]montreat.org. Questions about registration? Email the registrar at susana[at]montreat.org.

Child care is not provided during this conference.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations must be received by March 10 / August 25 in order to receive a full refund less a $25 service charge. Cancellations received after March 10 / August 25 but on or before April 13 will receive a 50% refund of the conference fee and payments made toward room and meal charges (if applicable) less $40. No refunds (including materials fee) will be issued after April 13 / September 28. All requests must be in writing and received via email, fax, or U.S. mail.

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